“Kiss me like you kissed her,” I said.
He stepped forward, grabbed the back of my neck in exactly the same way he had before, and kissed me exactly as he had just moments before. He was so full of shit. My hands moved up his back and into his hair. I gripped it tight and kissed him hard. Then I quickly pulled away. Not only had a stranger kissed me better in that dream, but I'd kissed that stranger better as well. Had it always been that way with Jeff, I wondered? How had I never noticed it before? Maybe it had been better and we'd lost it.
“Do you love me?” I blurted out.
“What?” he asked. “Of course I do. You're my wife. You're the mother of my children. I'm here, aren't I? I came to you.”
“Are you in love with me, Jeff?” I asked.
“What?” he asked. “Where is all of this coming from, Cassie? If I didn't love you, would I have driven here? You know I don't like Pennsylvania.”
“So your answer is no then,” I said, feeling done with the conversation already.
The whole hope for him to profess his love for me was gone.
“Stop being so ridiculous,” he said, his voice taking on a bit of a harsh tone. “What do you want from me? I work my ass off and have always given you everything you've ever wanted. We have a huge house. You even have your dream house on the lake.”
“That sure bit me in the ass,” I said.
“You need to watch your mouth,” he warned. “My wife doesn't talk like she has a mouth full of shit.”
“My husband doesn't fuck other women,” I hissed. “Why are you here if you don't love me?”
“I already said I love you. She's not there anymore. It's over,” he said, as he threw his hands up and walked away. “I want you home. What's it going to take?”
“You think you would have put in a bit more effort to convince me, don't you think?” I asked, as I motioned around the room. “This is the room you get when you ask me to come back home.”
“This is what you're getting used to, isn't it?” he asked with a smirk.
“You are such an asshole,” I snapped out without thinking.
He turned on me faster than I could react. Then he stepped forward, and for the first time in our marriage, I feared him. His hand came up and landed on my cheek.
“Do not ever do that again,” he warned.
My hand went to my cheek, and my finger moved over the spot he'd just connected with.
“Who are you?” I whispered. “You've never done anything like that before.”
“Really?” he snapped. “I've never had a reason before. Look at you. You're wearing jeans and sneakers. You stepped up to me in front of my assistant and our nanny. Do you hear your mouth? You sound like a damn sailor. Never once have you spoken to me the way you just did. Maybe Sammie can get away with that shit, but my wife will not.”
“My husband,” I began, but he cut me off.
“Do not finish that sentence. I already told you that it's over. Get over it. Maybe you should have been home being my wife, taking care of me. Instead, you fucking got pregnant a third time. I still don't get why you needed another damn house.”
“You were the one that sent me there and wouldn't bring me back,” I snapped out. “You were also the one that got me pregnant a third time. Those are our children you're talking about. Besides, you were with her even before I got pregnant with the baby. Explain that shit.”
“I got with her as soon as you took off for your new house the first time,” he snapped.
“What?” I gasped, as tears began filling my eyes faster than I could fight them back.
“Yep,” he said, with a shitty grin on his face. “You weren't there. Did you honestly think I was going to wait for the weekends? She wasn't so bad either.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked. “You said she's gone. Why point something like that out to me?”
“You need to know who's in control, Cassie,” he said sternly, as he stepped forward toward me. When he spoke again, his tone was like nothing I'd ever heard him use before. “You'd better think about things. I want you home. People are starting to ask questions. It looks good for me and the business if I make my marriage work. I've given you more than enough time to come to your senses. You will come home, or you will lose everything. I've worked damn hard. There is no way I'll let you make me look bad. Do you understand me? You're my wife. You will be right by my side, where you belong. If you aren't, you'll be sorry.”
“Do not threaten me, Jeff,” I snapped, as I grabbed the door and quickly opened it.
His hand came out of nowhere and grabbed tight on my arm, so damn tight that I knew it was going to leave a mark.
“It's not a threat,” he hissed. “It's a fucking promise.”
I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened even more.
“How did you know James and Sammie were there without me yesterday?” I asked, just realizing what he'd said right after I'd gotten there.
“I sat outside the house,” he said. “They showed up, but you didn't. Believe me, I was ready. Maybe you knew. Is that why you didn't go?”
He was going to make a scene in front of my whole family. I'd stayed away so my parents didn't see what my life was turning into. Not once had I thought he would go there. What if I hadn't agreed to meet with him? Would he have shown up at James and Sammie's house?
“You were tracking my phone when I left that day,” I said more to myself than to him. “Had you done it before then?”
“Come on, Cassie,” he said with a slight shake of his head. “Do you think I've gotten where I am without paying attention? I always knew where you were. There was no way I was ever going to give you a chance to embarrass me.”
“What happened that morning then?” I asked sarcastically and instantly felt his nails bite into my skin.
“I guess I let my dick get in the way,” he said. “Don't worry, that will never happen again.”
“This isn't how you get someone back, Jeff,” I said, as I looked into his eyes.
“Stop being a child about things,” he said. “You like the things I can provide for you, and I want my wife where she belongs. The quicker you come back, the easier it will be on both of us. I have a huge business dinner coming up in two weeks, and I need you there with me. If you're not there, it will be over, and you will lose everything. I will get it all. When I say all, I mean it. I will keep everything that means anything to you, even the kids. You can't stay with your brother forever, Cassie. What are you going to do with yourself? I'm not sure you'll be able to meet another man that will put up with your shit and pay your way. I can give you that. All you have to do is come home.”
“Ugh,” I barked out, as I pulled my arm toward me hard to try and break his hold on me.
He let go, and I flew back into the hallway.
“Two weeks,” he said with a smile, just before letting the door go and walking away.
Chapter 2
Cassie
I cried the whole drive back to the house. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense anymore. When he'd called, he seemed like his old self again. His voice was soft and sweet. Then I showed up at the hotel, and the first time I mentioned her, he acted as if I was being unreasonable. I was being way more reasonable than I should have been. You don't sleep with another woman and move her into your house while your wife is at your vacation home with your two children and newborn baby. How could I have been so stupid, I wondered? I sat in the driveway, for what seemed like forever, waiting for the tears to stop. There had to have been signs. Was it really more than a year, or was he just trying to hurt me? Jeff had never put his hands on me or spoken the way he just had, not ever before. What was going on with him? Where had my husband gone, the one that I married? Could he really take the kids away from me? I could see him fighting for anything and everything that cost money. He was the one that earned it. He'd pointed that out already. The kids were another story. Not once since I left had he asked about them. From the sound of
it, he was going to fight for them, but he was only going to do it to hurt me. Would they really give them to him? What would he do once he got them? He'd just have Susan raise them, I thought.
I got out of my vehicle and started toward the front door. Two weeks, that was how long he'd given me. Not because he really wanted me back, but because he had a business meeting he needed me there for. He'd said he loved me, but when I asked if he was in love with me, he never answered the question. I wasn't in love with him either. If I had been before walking into that hotel room, I definitely wasn't anymore. He'd raised his hand to me. The spot on my face that he smacked still stung. It was more out of embarrassment and hurt than pain, but it felt awful. When he grabbed my arm, I'd felt more scared than ever before in my life. Love doesn't do that. There was absolutely no love left in that room by the time I left.
As soon as I opened the front door, I heard laughing coming from inside. The loudest of it all was coming from my little girl. Did I want her around a man that could raise his hand to his wife, the one he was supposed to protect? The answer was no. It wasn't okay, and I would never let her think it was. I just had to figure out what I was going to do. The look on his face as the door closed told me he thought he'd won. Jeff was sure I was coming home, but there was no way that was happening. He gave me two weeks, so I knew I had that long before I'd hear from him again.
I stood wondering if I should mention meeting with Jeff but decided against it. Sammie would be pissed that I'd gone, and James would ask a bunch of questions I honestly didn't know how to answer. They'd taken us in. That was more than enough. It was my problem to deal with, and I needed some time to do that. Even though Jeff had acted the way he had, I still wasn't sure he wasn't just calling my bluff. He thought he was scaring me with what he was saying, and honestly, he was, but I wasn't going to let him know that.
I dried my tears the best I could and rounded the corner into the living room. James was on the ground with three kids on top of him. Sammie was asleep on the couch, and the two babies were asleep in the small crib that was off to the side.
“Cassie,” I heard him say, just before one of the kids tickled him.
“I'm sorry,” was all I said before picking the baby up and heading up the stairs.
Once he was situated for bed, I changed back into sweats and crawled under my covers, making sure my phone was on the nightstand.
“What has happened to my life?” I whispered.
When I closed my eyes, I was still thinking about Jeff. He didn't want to look bad. That was why he'd wanted me back. How could the man that treated me so well have turned into the man I'd seen earlier? He wasn't a bad guy. He never had been that I knew of. Maybe he was and I'd been too blind to see it. I looked over at the phone and a creepy feeling went through me. He'd been keeping track of me through it. He'd been controlling everything. I grabbed the phone and quickly shut it off before putting it back down. When I finally drifted off to sleep, I was exhausted and hoping it was all just a bad dream.
The next morning, I barely pulled myself out of bed before going downstairs and falling onto the couch. That day passed in a daze. I could hear everyone around me, but it felt like a dream. I didn't change, didn't put makeup on, and never even combed my hair. They watched me, I could feel their eyes on me. When Sammie handed me a plate of food, I shook my head, pulled my blanket up higher, and closed my eyes again. At the end of the night, I felt James nudge me. With the blanket around me, I walked back up the stairs and fell onto my bed. The two days that followed that one went exactly the same way. No matter how many times I told myself to get up and figure things out, I couldn't do it. My life was a mess that was spiraling out of control. I was living off of my brother and his wife, I didn't have a dollar to my name, and my husband had transformed into a giant asshole. I had no idea what I was going to do, and I honestly didn't want to think about any of it.
That fourth morning came, and I landed on the couch just as I had before. I'd just fallen back to sleep when the blanket covering me was ripped away. The cold air hit my skin, and I let out a groan.
“Get up, Cassie,” Sammie barked out from above me.
I turned into the couch and closed my eyes.
“What is wrong with you?” she asked, and I groaned again.
“Nothing,” I mumbled.
“I know I've always given you shit for wearing a lot of makeup and spending so much time on doing yourself up, and I honestly never thought I'd hear myself say these words, but get your ass up and take a shower. You smell like shit.”
“Later,” I mumbled.
“No,” she snapped. “What is going on? We were gone for one night, Cassie. You had the kids for one night. I know you can be dramatic, but this is a bit much. What the hell happened in that one night to cause this mess on my couch? Is it what I said when I came home and found the house a disaster?”
“No,” I mumbled.
“Then what is it?” she asked.
“Jeff,” I said, as I moved to look up but clenched my eyes tight to block out the light.
“What about him?” she asked. “Did that fucker do something?”
The tone in her voice was harsh enough to make me rethink mentioning him.
“Nothing,” I said. “I'm just tired.”
When I put my head back down, I heard her let out a groan of her own.
“I don't think so,” she said, as I felt both of my feet being yanked hard off the couch. “Get your ass up.”
“No,” I moaned.
“Yes,” she snapped out.
My entire body hit the floor, and I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at her.
“Really?” I asked.
“You left me no choice,” she said with a smirk. “You should see yourself right now. It's taking all I have not to take pictures to use against you later. I can't believe I'm saying this a second time, but go take a shower before I hose you down.”
I got up from the floor and headed for the stairs.
“I mean it, Cassie,” she yelled out from behind me. “Take a shower and get dressed. When I come up there, I'd better not find you in that bed.”
Just as I'd gotten to the top step and rounded the corner toward my room, I heard her again.
“And comb that rat's nest on top of your head.”
When I finally made it into the shower and the hot water hit my skin, my eyes closed and I let out a loud breath. It felt so damn good standing under the steady stream of wet heat. I washed my hair. Then I conditioned it. As my hands moved over my body to wash it, Parker popped into my mind, and my eyes shot open.
“Get your shit together, Cassie,” I said. “Men suck.”
I hurried through the rest of my shower. When I grabbed the towel and stepped out, the cool air hit my skin, and it felt like a bucket of ice had been thrown over me. I was definitely wide awake. I dried off as quickly as I could before hurrying to my room to get dressed. I'd grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. That would have to do. I ran the brush through my hair and yelped in pain. Sammie wasn't kidding, it was a mess up there. Once I'd combed it out, I grabbed a hairband and threw it up. I looked over at the phone still on my nightstand and rolled my eyes. Then I looked at my purse that I knew didn't have a damn dollar in it, and I left it there. When I got down the stairs, I fell back onto the couch. Seconds later, I saw my sneakers fly through the air and land at my feet.
“Put them on,” I heard Sammie say from across the room where she was slipping her own feet into hers. “We're going out.”
“I'm not going anywhere,” I said.
Just as the last word left my mouth, James came through the front door. He slipped his suit jacket from his shoulders and hung it on the back of a chair. Then he walked toward his baby as he rolled up his shirt sleeves.
“Hey, James,” he said, as he picked the little guy up and kissed his forehead. “Did you miss daddy?”
“He always misses daddy,” Sammie said with a laugh, before looking back at me. “We are leav
ing the house. You can do this the easy way or the hard way. You choose.”
“Ugh,” I said, as I grabbed one shoe and began shoving my foot into it without even bothering to untie it. “Why is your wife such a pain in the ass?”
James laughed as he bounced his little guy in his arms.
“Did you miss your Uncle James?” he asked my little guy, who was swinging happily. “I sure missed you guys.”
“Daddy,” I heard Jillian yell out, before she came running around the corner with Jenny and Jeff at her heels.
James leaned down and kissed his little girl on the forehead just like he had his son only moments before. I sat in awe watching my brother. He really was a great man. Sammie had no idea how lucky she was to find the only good one left. James walked over and sat down on the couch with the baby in his arms and looked over at me.
“Much better,” he said with a laugh.
“Smart ass,” I grumbled.
Just as I was shoving my second shoe on, I felt his eyes on me.
“What the fuck is that?” he demanded.
I looked up to see his eyes looking right at the bruise on my arm.
“It's nothing,” I said, as I jerked my arm back and quickly adjusted my shoe.
Then I got to my feet and headed for Sammie.
“Cassie,” he snapped.
“What?” I asked. “It happened a few days ago, while you were gone. I hit it against something. I don't even remember what it was.”
“It looks like a hand print,” he said sternly. “You sure you hit it?”
“Yes,” I snapped. “Stop being such a big brother.”
Sammie had gotten the three kids ready to leave in the time I'd been putting on my shoes. That woman had super powers, I was sure of it. She opened the door and out they went.
“Come on,” she snapped. “I don't have all day.”
Out of My League: Complete Box Set Page 8